Ortiz was a one-man bridge from 2004 to ‘07 to ‘13, with plenty of others being part of two of those title-winning teams with the Hall of Fame designated hitter. Infielder Xander Bogaerts and pitcher Brandon Workman were rookies on the 2013 championship club and something more like veterans in ‘18.

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The last Sox standing from that powerhouse was third baseman Rafael Devers, whom they traded last June.

These Red Sox, featuring ace Garrett Crochet and budding star Roman Anthony, aspire to match their predecessors. But they will chase the World Series dream not knowing exactly what it feels or looks like to reach the top in Boston.

Eight years is not 86, of course. This is an innocuous cloudless day compared to that drought.

“You just have to trust your teammates, believe that you can do that, and actually don’t even stop to think how much you have achieved. Just look forward to what you might achieve in the future,” 2004 ace and Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez said. “They have the opportunity to do anything anybody else has done. And we were part of a brilliant history. Eighty-six years in Boston, waiting for a championship. And I came over with that in mind, and it became really difficult, but we got it. So why not them? That’s all they have to ask themselves: Why not us?”

Sounds familiar.

“There’s plenty of good baseball players in this group,” said two-time World Series champion catcher Jason Varitek, former captain and current game planning and run prevention coach. “Would that [prior experience] be beneficial? It would be awesome. But it’s not [the reality]. And this is our group, and there’s going to be plenty of leaders and people who can take that challenge on themselves.”

The Red Sox who have won the World Series elsewhere are closer Aroldis Chapman (2016 Cubs and 2023 Rangers) and first baseman Willson Contreras (2016 Cubs).

After winning a championship as a player in 2007 with the Red Sox, Alex Cora’s second World Series parade through Boston came in ’18 as a first-year manager.John Tlumacki

Also, on the staff, they have Varitek, manager Alex Cora (2007 as an infielder and ‘18 as the manager), and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow (‘13 as a reliever).

“I always make sure they understand. That’s why we have Tek here,” Cora said of Varitek. “I mean, yeah, he has his job, but Tek — he can actually talk about it, right? He went from ’03 to ’04. … That’s part of creating a culture. There’s a space up there for the next banner.”

Cora referenced the Sox teaching prospects during their annual rookie development program about what it means in Boston — about it meaning more — in the same way other iconic franchises such as the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Yankees do.

Part of that is because of the expectations of the fan base, Breslow and Ortiz said separately.

“My only advice is every time you take that field, you leave [everything] out there,” Ortiz said. “Show the fans that you are into the game from beginning to end, and they will love you — even if you don’t get the result that you expect or that they expect you to get. … And the fans here, they got the best out of me. I [have to] tell you that. I don’t think there’s any other place that would have given me that.”

The Red Sox lead baseball with four titles this century, though as Cora said wistfully: “Well, it’s been a while, too. 2018.”

The Giants (2010, ‘12, ’14) and Dodgers (’20, ‘24, ‘25) have three titles. The Yankees have been stuck at one since 2009.

“Look at the average career and the average length of time that anyone spends in any particular uniform, it means you must be winning World Series championships at some regular cadence to have that,” Breslow said. “I hope that we’re in a position to change [this ring-less roster quirk] as early as 2027 [via winning it all in 2026]. We talk a lot about what winning in Boston means, the expectations of our fan base, the standards that we hold ourselves to.”

Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.